Delaware at Christmas: The First State in a Merry State
About this ebook
Readers will discover the origins of outdoor Christmas decorations, the rise of the state’s holly wreath industry, and the stories behind local favorites like eggnog, wassail, and plum pudding. The book shines a light on forgotten practices — from mumming parades and house tours to the music of handbell choirs and the enduring power of church lovefeasts.
Delaware at Christmas also gives voice to the holiday experiences of Black Delawareans during the antebellum period, alongside the customs brought by Irish, Italian, Polish, and Hispanic communities who shaped the state’s evolving identity.
Whether exploring 19th-century sleigh bells, Victorian Christmas cards, or the curious history of IBM punch card wreaths, Dave Tabler captures Delaware’s holiday spirit with meticulous research and a storyteller’s eye.
Perfect for history lovers, regional readers, and anyone drawn to the enduring magic of Christmas traditions.
About the author
Ten-year-old Dave Tabler decided he was going to read the ‘R’ volume from the family’s World Book Encyclopedia set over summer vacation. He never made it from beginning to end. He did, however, become interested in Norman Rockwell, rare-earth elements, and Run for the Roses.
Tabler’s father encouraged him to try his hand at taking pictures with the family camera. With visions of Rockwell dancing in his head, Tabler press-ganged his younger brother into wearing a straw hat and sitting next to a stream barefoot with a homemade fishing pole in his hand. The resulting image was terrible.
Dave Tabler went on to earn degrees in art history and photojournalism despite being told he needed a ‘Plan B.’
Fresh out of college, Tabler contributed the photography for The Illustrated History of American Civil War Relics, which taught him how to work with museum curators, collectors, and white cotton gloves. He met a man in the Shenandoah Valley who played the musical saw, a Knoxville fellow who specialized in collecting barbed wire, and Tom Dickey, brother of the man who wrote Deliverance.
Dave Tabler moved to Delaware in 2010 and became smitten with its rich past. He is the author of Delaware Before the Railroads, Delaware from Railways to Freeways, and Delaware from Freeways to E-ways. He still takes pictures, but the fishing pole has been retired.
